Planet in peril: Global conservation congress urges wildlife protection

Current global extinction risk in different species groups, according to the IUCN

For the first time in the IUCN's history, indigenous groups will share their deep knowledge on how best to heal the natural world as voting members

When the world's leading conservation congress kicks off Friday in the French port city of Marseille it will aim to deliver one key message: protecting wildlife must not be seen as a noble gesture but an absolute necessity -- for people and the planet.

"Indigenous peoples have long stewarded and protected the world's forests, a crucial bulwark against climate change," said Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples.